[SOLVED] 10700K OC - Z490 Tomahawk?

[Allessio]

Hello everyone,

will the MSI Z490 Tomahawk be able to handle an overclocked i7-10700K at around 5.1Ghz if the CPU allows it? Or is it too weak for the 10700K? If so, what's the minimum mobo to OC the 10700K?

 

[Phaaze88]

There's no compiled list of Intel board VRM quality as far as I know, but...
~200USD would net you even a 10900K capable board. The bar isn't that high for such a board.
I take that back, around 200USD for a motherboard is a lot for some people.

If you're aiming for a 10700K, then:
-280mm hybrid or better
-around 200USD motherboard
That shouldn't be too much for you.

 

[Allessio]

Thanks for the answer, it should be fine then. As a heatsink I planned to get a NH-D15 which seems to be enough.

 

[Phaaze88]

Thanks for the answer, it should be fine then. As a heatsink I planned to get a NH-D15 which seems to be enough.

If you're not trying to overclock it, sure.

A 10700K is pretty much a 9900K, with some slight refinements here and there, and when pushing high overclocks... under the right conditions, even the NH-D15 bends the knee to that cpu.

 

[Allessio]

If you're not trying to overclock it, sure.

Well, I plan to eventually OC to ~5.0GHz. Considering that the 10700K boosts to (iirc) 4.7GHz out of the box, that shouldn't be too much of an issue with the NH-D15, atleast I haven't read any negative experiences with that combination yet. But feel free to prove me wrong.

 

[Phaaze88]

Well, I plan to eventually OC to ~5.0GHz. Considering that the 10700K boosts to (iirc) 4.7GHz out of the box, that shouldn't be too much of an issue with the NH-D15, atleast I haven't read any negative experiences with that combination yet. But feel free to prove me wrong.

Out of the box: Up to 5.1ghz single thread, 4.7ghz all core.
The reason 'cheaper' cooling can work with the 10th gen Comet Lake cpus is due to the conservative power limits Intel implemented with them.
To overclock these chips, you have to throw that out the window and then they burn up - figuratively speaking.

Like here [already saved at a specific time]:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGHiRrQ2AAo&t=280s

-Ambient room temp of 21-22C. The inside of the chassis is always warmer.
-Blender.
-There's stock, 5.0ghz, and 5.1ghz results.

And here:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOCrcOfTsLg

-Yes, I know it's a 10900K, but this is still relatable due to the power limits I mentioned earlier.
-Ambient temp: 22C.
-Blender Classroom.
-Stock and Multi Core Enhancement - All limits removed results.
The thermals are amazing at stock. Try to do any performance tuning, and it goes to hell - figuratively speaking.

The target should be to keep it below 80C under heavy load.
At stock, that shouldn't be much of a problem with a NH-D15. Remove/raise those power limits, and that's a fail.
None of this includes AVX/AVX2 which isn't all that uncommon anymore - higher power and heat loads than what was already shown in the videos.